The group said its private sales rate was 19% ahead of last year, in a trading update that covers its third quarter period from the start of July to the start of November. Shares lifted 21p to 1758p.

In afternoon trading the biggest risers in the FTSE 100 Index were Next (+182p to 4992p), Associated British Foods (+74p to 2549p), EasyJet (+23.5p to 964p), Fresnillo (+27p to 1745p) and Randgold Resources (+110p to 7505p).

The biggest fallers in the FTSE 100 Index were Standard Chartered (-23.7p to 649.6p), 3i Group (-15p to 651.5p), Glencore (-4.3p to 242.2p), Ashtead Group (-21p to 1238p) and Tesco (-3.4p to 210p).

In afternoon trading the biggest risers in the FTSE 250 Index were G4S (+19.4p to 240p), Sports Direct International (+13.1p to 289.4p), NCC Group (+7.8p to 202p), Smurfit Kappa Group (+61 to 1821p) and BTG (12.5p to 634p).

The biggest fallers in the FTSE 250 Index were JD Wetherspoon (-53.5p to 834.5p), Hunting (-23p to 467.6p), Tullow Oil (-11p to 254p), Just Eat (-20.5p to 540.5p) and Henderson Group (-7.8p to 222.1p).